Storms and high tides continue to batter south-west Britain

Morning glory: The sun casts its colourful rays over the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire. The shot was captured by amateur photographer Robert Peel (Picture: PA/Alamy Live News)

Cornwall was one of the worst parts affected, with homes under water, train services delayed and drivers left to battle hazardous conditions on the roads.

‘We flood quite regularly with the tides but not normally as bad as this,’ said Jeff Penhaligon, who described the damage to seafront properties as the worst he had seen in his seven years as Looe harbour master.

Windswept: Gales whip up the surf on the seafront at Swansea Marina (Picture: Alamy Live News)

‘You wouldn’t want to go out in this in a small boat,’ he added.

As people were counting the cost of the clean-up, two brothers were praised for saving a drowning woman.

The men risked their lives to reach a dog owner swept out to sea as she tried to reach her pet at storm-lashed Little Fistral beach in Newquay.

She was airlifted to hospital suffering from severe hypothermia but rescue crews say she would have died had the men, believed to be qualified lifeguards, not been there on Tuesday night.

A total of 72 weather warnings were in place yesterday, covering parts of Wales, north-west England and Scotland – where temperatures fell to -8C (17F).

Hazardous: A lorry drives through water near Heathrow airport (Picture: PA)

‘People should be aware that there could be a lot of water in coastal areas, so avoid trying to drive or walk through any flood water and be sensible when out and about, particularly around the coast,’ said Environment Agency area manager James Humphrys.

Dan Williams, of the Met Office, advised that there will still be some showers around today but overall it will be a ‘typical autumnal day’.

He said the weekend weather ‘looks drier and brighter’ with an Indian summer forecast to begin on Monday.